A Cunningham
Pringle
Match Information
Attendance: 35,290
Referee: William Bell (Hamilton)
Matchday: Saturday
Match Trivia
Greater Love Street was not great enough for the large crowd which gathered for the League encounter between St Mirren and Rangers, and while it was difficult to estimate the attendance, owing to the incomplete state of the field, yet there would be at least 25,000 presents. Prior to the start of the game, Mr J.O.M. Clark performed the opening ceremony in connection with the new stand – at least that part of the new stand which St Mirren have been able to erect with the capital at their disposal. It may be of interest to those at Love Street to know that another two portions of a similar size are to be built, to accommodate about 6000 people. Sir John Ure Primrose, in his remarks, said the football field was the working man’s theatre, and they rejoined to come and see manly and clean football exhibitions. Of the game it may be said that it was one in which there was very little good football witnessed. The Rangers certainly played the better game. Once they got the hang of St Mirren’s new field, they played all right. Starting with a rush, St Mirren worried the Rangers’ defence, till it seemed they must get through, and although there was one or two clever things the right thing bever materialised. It would have made all the difference to St Mirren if they just got one ball past the agile Robb. The nearest time it came to that was when Walker, with that famous head of his, bobbed up to a high ball from Lawson, and though it went in the right direction, the Light Blues’ custodian pounced at it like a cat. This was the beginning of a harassing time for Robb and his partners, but the goalkeeper never faltered. This state of matters lasted for fifteen minutes, Saints overrunning the Rangers. Latterly Rangers came into the game, and Cunningham rushed a ball along the ground to Bradford in business-like fashion. It was a sign that they had wakened up, and the big inside right beat Bradford all the way. It was one of those goals one likes to see, the ball travelling away from the custodian all the time. A few minutes prior to that Saints had claimed a couple of penalties, and if the shouts of the crowd could be taken into consideration, they were penalties, but happily the referee is not swayed by the volume of sound, and there was nothing doing. Little Charlie Pringle had the equaliser for Saints, and it was a bit of bad luck for Robb, for he caught the shot all right, but it rebounded from the inside of the upright into the back of the net. By this time there was as much excitement taken in the crowd as there was in the game itself, for they commenced to encroach on the track, despite the vigilance of the policemen, and the ambulance men had to be signalled for to deal with one or two cases. Fortunately, they were not serious. It was following that that Cairns shot the ball which beat Bradford for the leading point, and this turned out to be the only other goal scored. It was Bradford, and Bradford alone, following this that saved St Mirren, but the impression one formed of the Rangers’ play was that they held St Mirren cheap. They certainly faded away compared with their display prior to that. Although St Mirren had only ten men, Walker being off injured, Rangers failed to find the net again. St Mirren flattered themselves in the first fifteen minutes. Their policy seemed to be to get a goal any old way, and while they certainly caused the Rangers a deal of anxiety it was early apparent that their style of play would not last. There was no method in anything they tried, and no combination whatever. These flashes and dashes along the wing one was wont to see from Thomson and Lawson were sadly missing. Walker was a marked man, Dizon blanketing him all the time. He was most anxious, and although allowed little latitude, so eager was he that on one occasion he found himself entangled with the net behind Robb. Poorly supported, however, and with Dixon always behind him, he caught little life. Pringle was the best forward and was always in the thick of it. There were those who thought that if Summers had been in his usual place in the team Saints would have fared better. That thought can be dismissed, however, for Duff was the best Saints’ half, and he came nearest to equalising the game for them. He crossed a hot ball to Robb’s end, followed with a header a few minutes later. Till was a long while in striking his form; in fact, it was only when his partner, McAllister, had shot his bolt that the little Englishman was seen at his best. He tackled well and cleared his lines strongly. While Dixon was not so demonstrative as usual, he was most effective in holding Walker, but the same can be said of Duff, the St Mirren centre half, regarding Henderson. Morton found in Clunas a foeman worthy of his steel, and a great deal was not seen of the speedy winger. Cunningham and Cairns were the best forwards, not for their goals alone, and the former was the star.
